Key senators reach deal on background checks for gun buyers

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prospects for a gun control bill's passage in the Senate in coming weeks got a boost on Wednesday with a bipartisan agreement on background checks for gun buyers.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania brokered the deal and were scheduled to announce it during a news conference at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) Wednesday.

According to a Senate Democratic aide, the measure would expand criminal background checks for prospective gun buyers to include sales made at gun shows and online.

Sales among friends or family members would be exempt from the requirement, which is designed to close many loopholes. Analysts have said as many as 40 percent of gun buyers have been able to avoid background checks under the current system.

The proposal for expanded background checks - which includes a requirement for sellers to keep records of sales - appears to be Obama's best hope for meaningful gun control legislation in the wake of the December massacre of 20 children and six adults at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Several family members of victims from the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown are in Washington this week to help Obama's team pressure lawmakers for action.

More controversial parts of the president's plan - such as a ban on rapid-firing "assault" weapons like the one used in Connecticut and limits on the capacity of ammunition magazines - appear to have a slim chance of clearing the U.S. Senate, which is led by Obama's Democrats. Such measures face an even tougher road in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Manchin's participation in the deal on background checks is widely seen as boosting the prospects for the legislation's passage. The freshman senator represents a state where gun ownership has long been passionately protected and where attempts to regulate guns have been strongly opposed.

On Thursday, the Senate is scheduled to hold its first test vote on a gun control bill.

More than a dozen conservative Republican senators have threatened a filibuster aimed at delaying consideration of any gun restrictions. But other Republicans - many acknowledging public opinion polls that have shown that more than 80 percent of Americans favor expanded background checks - have said Obama's proposals should get a floor vote in the Senate. Senate Leader Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who schedules votes in the chamber, has echoed that position.

The measure likely to pass the Senate, expected to include expanded background checks, more funding for school security and tighter restrictions on gun trafficking, falls far short of what Obama had pressed for. But it is more extensive than what the influential National Rifle Association, the nation's largest gun rights group, has warned that it would accept.

Whatever gun control measures clear the Senate, they are likely to face a more challenging path in the House, where many Republicans have vowed to oppose any gun restrictions.

(Editing by David Lindsey and Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-cast-first-gun-control-votes-thursday-025348479.html

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Nintendo lands 'remotely controlled mobile device control' patent

You know those goofy tennis racket peripherals that allow for Wiimote insertion? Or, perhaps more sensibly, those Guitar Hero axes that wouldn't function without a Wiimote planted at the heart? Looks as if Nintendo's going to do us all one better. Based on a rambling new patent granted to the Big N this week, the company now holds the power to concoct a "remotely controlled mobile device control system." Distilled down, the verbiage describes a Wiimote-type controller being embedded within a "remote controlled toy," which would then be (unsurprisingly) used in conjunction with a game console. Essentially, this opens the door for Honda to develop a new variant of ASIMO that takes commands via an embedded Wii controller... or, for a Wii-infused robot to turn on its owner and commit unspeakable crimes against humanity. But hey, it'll probably be pretty cute.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Nintendo

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Source: USPTO

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/CfZ4-nzNaHU/

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Hotels In Isle Of Wight

Isle of Wight is a beautiful place to go on a vacation. Before visiting the island, make sure to book your accommodation well on time. You will find many hotels at this place, which work to lift up your holidays with their hospitality.

Among all the hospitality establishments within England, hotels in the Isle of Wight are the best and most recognized. Actually they are within the Isle of Wight which is one of the largest islands within England. The demand for hospitality facilities is created by the 140,000 population that's hosted by the 147 miles square land. England has been a source of tourists for many international tourists destination over many years. The influx of tourists within this incredible island adds up to the tune of not less than 2.5 million and competes with other destinations within UK.

This island rides on a short history. It was nicknamed by Vectics by Romans which was added to the proclaimed possession of Hampshire. Over the years, the island has grown in leaps and bounds and has long been divided into Medina and South Wight. Thanks to the Romans, the island was able to curve its niche into the limelight it is receiving from the world tourists (of which many are domestic) every week, day, round the mouth and all year long. Tourists' arrivals throng around the towns of Ryde and Newport on their way to the hotels found around this area.

It elicits love among local and international tourists because of the facilities such as chalk cliffs, down lands and the eye candy sandy beaches. The natural beauty within Heritage coastline adds to the tourists list of needs they look forward to when they place their reservations with the hotels in the Isle of Wight. The island attracts both public and private tourists to enjoy the 500 miles long coastal footpaths. It is because of the sun tropical climate that tourists get a chance to bathe in the sun especially within the famous towns of Sundown, Shanklin and Ventnor. The island has been able to withstand the test of time with regards to endangered flora and fauna; it boasts of well maintained birds, animals, flowers and sea life. This is the home for red squirrels which are almost getting extinct.

There are so many luxury hotels within Isle of Wight. They offer the accommodation packages for all the tourists. Not only are there luxury hotels within this famous destination, but also there is family owned bed and breakfast establishments for the holiday makers who cannot afford the accommodation charges within the luxury hotels. The fun doesn't stop at the sandy beaches and sunshine at Sundown. Tourists are spoilt for choice for all the pubs and restaurants within the island which have brewed beers and all the grape wines they crave for.

Alongside the gifts of nature, there are also events that go down the Isle of Wight. These events include Cowes Week for exclusive sailing and sea fairing. It is a lucrative event that attracts tourists from all over the world especially who love sailing based. It is therefore not an affair for the people of England. All the fanatics behind Cold Play, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie don't miss on the annual rock event dubbed The Isle of Wight Festival. That's all about the island. Choose your accommodation among all the hotels on Isle of Wight on time, to avoid any inconvenience later.

About the Author:
The author of this article is associated with Mayfair Hotel, providing comfortable accommodation to the people. For further details, log on to mayfair-isleofwight.co.uk.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Hotels-In-Isle-Of-Wight/4531122

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

TSX posts year's biggest jump on upbeat China data

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index recorded its biggest one-day percentage jump in more than four months on Tuesday as positive economic data from China fueled hopes for a global economic recovery and drove gains in the material and energy sectors. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> unofficially closed up 139.49 points, or 1.13 percent, at 12,484.05. Nine of the 10 main sectors on the index were higher.

Agrium sweeps proxy vote, Jana cries foul

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian fertilizer company Agrium Inc said on Tuesday its entire slate of directors had been elected to its board, defeating a rival slate nominated by dissident U.S. shareholder Jana Partners. Jana, the hedge fund that is Agrium's biggest single shareholder, said the vote was tainted and should be investigated. Agrium said the result was "fair and square".

FBI probes trading as KPMG quits as Herbalife, Skechers auditor

(Reuters) - In a blow to one of the world's largest accounting firms, KPMG said it resigned as auditor of two U.S. companies amid an FBI investigation into insider trading allegations involving a former senior partner. The companies - nutritional products group Herbalife Ltd and footwear maker Skechers USA Inc - said separately on Tuesday that KPMG had quit as their auditor in connection with alleged leaks of nonpublic information.

Porter Airlines expansion plan could hit hurdles

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian regional carrier Porter Airlines is expected to announce an order for 12 of Bombardier Inc's new CSeries jets on Wednesday, a likely challenge to restrictions at its Toronto Island airport base. The privately held airline, which says it will announce "expansion plans" at a morning press conference, could create a third cross-country carrier with the deal, ratcheting up competition for Canada's No. 1 and 2 airlines, Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd .

Scotiabank CEO sees Canadian housing slowdown, not crash

TORONTO (Reuters) - Bank of Nova Scotia Chief Executive Rick Waugh said on Tuesday that mortgage delinquencies have risen at Canada's third-biggest bank, but that he does not foresee a U.S.-style housing crash. "We still anticipate what I would call in terms of housing, a soft landing, and all the metrics which we watch daily confirm that," Waugh told the bank's annual general meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Wal-Mart funds supplier training after Bangladesh fire

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc , the world's largest retailer, is making its biggest push yet to try to improve conditions at factories that produce its clothing after a fire at a Bangladesh factory last year killed 112 people. The company also said Tuesday it would donate $1.6 million to help start a new Bangladesh training academy, and outlined its efforts to regain control over the complex and far-flung web of factories that make its products.

Mexican manufacturing: from sweatshops to high-tech motors

SILAO, Mexico (Reuters) - Made in Mexico is increasingly more likely to mean cars than clothes as the country's manufacturing sector moves away from the low-skill, high-volume production lines of the past toward more sophisticated products. Times are tough for the assembly-for-export plants known as maquiladoras clustered along the U.S. border, a region that has lost economic muscle in the face of competition from China, successive U.S. recessions and drug war violence.

Canada housing data suggests soft landing so far

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian housing starts edged higher in March and building permits were weaker than expected in February, reports released on Tuesday showed, offering some reassurance that Canada's housing sector is simply cooling, not crashing. While housing starts rose for a second straight month, all the strength was in the rural market - urban starts dropped sharply - and a longer-term trend showed construction is continuing to moderate, according to a report from government agency Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

United Airlines plans earlier flights with Boeing 787

(Reuters) - United Airlines said on Tuesday that it planned to begin flying Boeing's 787 Dreamliner five days sooner than previously expected, a sign of confidence in the jet's return to service after regulators grounded it in January over safety concerns. United, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc , said it planned to use Boeing's newest jet on its Denver-Houston route starting May 31 and on the Denver-Tokyo's Narita route beginning on June 10.

Ackman may be eyeing exit as JC Penney bet in tatters

BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - William Ackman's multiyear bet that he could overhaul ailing retailer JC Penney looks like it may end up being one of his $12 billion hedge fund's worst investment blunders. On Monday, JC Penney's board dismissed Ron Johnson, a former Apple executive handpicked by Ackman to remake the retailer, and brought back Mike Ullman, whom Ackman has previously criticized.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-001749505--finance.html

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T-Mobile announces budget-friendly Nokia Lumia 521, available in May

BRUSSELS, April 8 (Reuters) - A French teenager who had hidden inside a garbage container was crushed to death inside a trash truck in Luxembourg on Saturday, police said. Garbage men only discovered the 17-year-old when he shouted out as they emptied the container into the back of the truck early on Saturday morning, but by then he was already in the grasp of the crushing mechanism. "He cried out, but it was already too late," a spokeswoman for Luxembourg police said on Monday. The young man, whose name was not released, died on the scene, in the city of Luxembourg. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/t-mobile-announces-budget-friendly-nokia-lumia-521-023027464.html

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Hospital group says 'alarm fatigue' can be deadly

CHICAGO (AP) ? Constantly beeping alarms in hospitals are being linked to patient deaths and other dangers in a new alert from the Joint Commission.

The alarms can lead to "noise fatigue," and doctors and nurses sometimes inadvertently ignore the sounds when there's a real patient emergency, possibly resulting in treatment delays that endanger patients.

That's according to the alert issued Monday by the Joint Commission hospital accrediting group.

The group says a government database lists more than 500 deaths potentially linked with hospital alarms in recent years.

The commission says hospital leaders need to address the problem and train staffers in safe alarm management.

The Joint Commission accredits more than 10,000 U.S. hospital and health care organizations. Hospitals covet accreditation and following commission advice is key to maintaining it.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hospital-group-says-alarm-fatigue-deadly-165344249.html

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Navy to unveil new laser weapon

No longer the fantasy weapon of tomorrow, the U.S. Navy is set to field a powerful laser that can protect its ships by blasting targets with high-intensity light beams.

Early next year the Navy will place a laser weapon aboard a ship in the Persian Gulf where it could be used to fend off approaching unmanned aerial vehicles or speedboats.

The Navy calls its futuristic weapon LAWS, which stands for the Laser Weapon System. What looks like a small telescope is actually a weapon that can track a moving target and fire a steady laser beam strong enough to burn a hole through steel.

A Navy video of testing conducted last summer off the coast of California shows how a laser beam fired from a Navy destroyer was able to set aflame an approaching UAV or drone, sending it crashing into the ocean.

"There was not a single miss" during the testing, said Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, chief of Naval Research. The laser was three for three in bringing down an approaching unmanned aerial vehicle and 12 for 12 when previous tests are factored in.

But don't expect in that video to see the firing of colored laser bursts that Hollywood has used for its futuristic laser guns. The Navy's laser ray is not visible to the naked eye because it is in the infrared spectrum.

Many of the details about how the laser works remain secret, such as how far its beam can travel, how powerful it is or how much power is used to generate it.

But Navy officials have provided a few unclassified details. For example, the laser is designed to be a "plug and play" system that integrates into a ship's existing targeting technologies and power grids. Those factors make it a surprisingly cheap weapon.

Klunder says each pulse of energy from the laser "costs under a dollar" and it can be used against weapons systems that are significantly more expensive. The Navy says it has spent about $40 million over the past six years in developing the weapon.

Rear Admiral Thomas Eccles, Navy Sea Systems Command, says the beam can be turned on instantly and that ultimately "the generation of power is essentially your magazine. It's the clip we have" instead of bullets. "We deliver precision with essentially an endless supply of rounds."

Some new technological fixes, what Klunder calls "a secret sauce," have been developed to improve the degrading of lasers over distance as well as maintaining a lock on a target from a moving ship.

The strength of the beam is flexible enough that at a lower intensity level it can be used to warn approaching ships and UAV's not to get too close to a Navy ship. Instead of using machine guns to fire non-lethal warning shots as Navy ships do now, the laser can be aimed to "dazzle" the viewing sensors aboard the craft. That light effect warns the pilot of a small water craft or at the controls of a UAV that they are being targeted by a laser and to turn away. If they don't, the laser's power can be boosted to destroy the approaching craft.

Based on earlier testing the Navy is confident the laser is ready for real-world testing aboard the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf. The ship was selected because of its mission to be an enduring presence in the Gulf to counter Iranian maritime threats in the region. Coincidentally Iran uses small fast boats to harass American warships in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

How might Iran feel about the new weapon? "Frankly I hope it sends a message to some of our potentially threatening adversaries out there to know that we mean business," said Klunder. "This is a system where if you try to harm our vessels that I hope you will take a very, very serious moment of pause to think about that before you do it because this system will destroy your vessel or will destroy your UAV."

The Navy wants the ship's crew to use the same techniques and methods they use with their other defensive weapons systems.

While for now the laser will be used primarily against slow-moving UAV's and fast boats cruising at speeds of 50 knots, the Navy sees the system's capabilities expanding over time to target faster weapons.

"There's absolutely every intention that with the development of this system and follow-on upgraded systems we will eventually be able to take higher speeds in-bound," said Klunder.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/navys-laser-weapon-blasts-bad-215808231.html

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Chris Brown and Rihanna Break Up, Reliable Source Claims

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/chris-brown-and-rihanna-break-up-reliable-source-claims/

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Margaret Thatcher Was Tougher Than Reagan

Margaret Thatcher?s long twilight has come to an end, and most Americans will view her through the lens of her ties to Ronald Reagan. After all, the relationship between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher is probably the best-known and most-revered tie between an American president and a foreign leader, outside of the one between Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Anglo-American ties have been called ?the special relationship,? and the personal bond between the Gipper and the Iron Lady was particularly strong, although not entirely in the way that it's remembered and perhaps in ways that offer some insight for our times.

There were obvious parallels and affinities between Reagan and Thatcher. Both were champions of the free market and small government; both favored a more aggressive posture toward the Soviet Union; and both pushed their center-right parties to the right.

But there were differences. Reagan faced an ailing America, Thatcher a dying Britain. It?s hard to imagine now the way coal strikes by the nation?s powerful miners unions plunged Britain into darkness. It?s hard to believe that nationalized industries included gas, electricity, television, and airlines. British newsrooms famously banned computers. Really. The printer?s union, the National Typographical Association, had a monopoly on keyboards. Journalists could use typewriters, but computers were the province of printers.?The top tax rate was 83 percent,?the Telegraph notes,?and the tax on unearned income was 98 percent.

Thatcher slashed, but there was no Reaganesque free candy. She lowered the rates, but she also raised other taxes, such as the value added tax. She was about sacrifice, cutting government subsidies and programs in a way that Reagan never matched. Millions of people went on the dole because of her cuts, whereas the recession in the U.S. did not result from Reagan cutting the budget but from Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker tightened money dramatically in order to wring inflation from the economy. (To be fair, Reagan did reappoint Volcker once.)

Thatcher called Reagan ?the second most important man in my life.? And both drew strength from the other. It helped at home. It was hard for Americans or Britons to dismiss their leader as a crazy outlier if your most important ally had an elected leader with a similar worldview. Bill Clinton and Tony Blair would mutually reinforce each other in the same way as they took on their own party?s established interests.?When Thatcher and Reagan differed, as on the Falklands war, where the Reagan administration had coddled the ?authoritarian? regime in Buenos Aires, it strained the relationship but never broke it.?

In all, though, Thatcher was more about sacrifice than easy victories. Reagan invaded Grenada?a move that Thatcher?s government denounced. Taking on the Falklands was a much bigger challenge. Thatcher was about cuts and upheaval. When she said during one of her most despised periods that??the lady does not turn,??she embodied her principled determination. There was no ?Aw, shucks? charm like Reagan, just castor oil.

In only one sense did she have it easier than Reagan. The Democratic Party may have been a mess, but it was nothing like Britain?s Labor Party, which became more socialist after her victory. Labor?s 1983 platform under leader Malcolm Foot was described by one wag as ?the world?s longest suicide note.?

Thatcher famously warned George H.W. Bush before the first Persian Gulf War, ?Don?t go wobbly on us, George.? ?But Bush and Thatcher?s successor, John Major, were seen by conservatives as wobbly short-timers facing revived opponents from the left in the form of Clinton and Blair. Blair finally crushed any hopes of renationalization of industries or a return to pre-Thatcher Britain, not that the embers burned particularly bright. Thatcher was eventually pushed out of office like Churchill, the price of victory one supposes. Being indispensable is a guarantee, it seems, of becoming dispensable when the work is done. Thatcher's legacy, too, is Churchillian??maybe not bigger than Reagan?s because her nation was smaller, but arguably more impressive.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/margaret-thatcher-tougher-reagan-095501172--politics.html

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Ex-porn star Jameson arrested for alleged battery

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) ? Police say former adult film star Jenna Jameson has been arrested after a report that she attacked someone at an Orange County home.

Newport Beach police Lt. Evan Sailor says the alleged victim put Jameson under citizen's arrest until police arrived at the home on the upscale Balboa Peninsula on Saturday night.

The 38-year-old Jameson, born Jenna Marie Massoli, was given a court date to face a misdemeanor battery charge and released on her own recognizance.

In May, Jameson was arrested for drunken driving after hitting a light pole in Westminster. She pleaded guilty in August was sentenced to three years' informal probation.

Jameson was among the biggest stars in porn when she left the industry in 2008. An email to her company seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-porn-star-jameson-arrested-alleged-battery-235517169.html

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Gronk being hurt

Getty Images

Recently, free-agent linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has been backpedaling more than a cornerback.

After suggesting this his support for same-sex marriage was a factor in his release by the Ravens, Ayanbadejo quickly said it wasn?t.? Now, not long after explaining that four gay players are considering coming out at the same time, Ayanbadejo says they aren?t.

Via Outsports.com, that was the upshot of Ayanbadejo?s Friday night appearance with Anderson Cooper of CNN.

?No, actually, what it is is, is there are organizations I?m in contact with, and there are individuals I?m in contact with and collectively we know of some gay players,? Ayanbadejo said when asked if he knows the names of the four gay players who are considering coming out.? ?And these players, some of them are anonymous, some of them we know who they are, but their identity is super secret and nobody wants to reveal who they are, and some of them don?t want to reveal who they are, rightfully so because it?s entirely up to them what they are going to do.

?What we want to facilitate is getting them all together so they can lean on each other, so they can have a support group.? And potentially it?s possible, it?s fathomable, that they could possibly do something together, break a story together.?

Apart from Ayanbadejo?s chronic inability to get his facts straight, he has an increasingly obvious desire to see one or more gay players come out. ?Gay players wrestling with this intensely personal decision easily could perceive that they are merely pawns in a much broader agenda being driven by straight players and/or members of the media who believe that the time has come for closeted gay players to be openly gay.

As former NFL player Wade Davis, who is openly gay, tells Outsports.com, ?The problem is that you have straight people speaking on the behalf of these closeted gay athletes, instead of letting the gay athletes speak for themselves.?

There?s a fine line between providing support and applying pressure.? While having multiple gay players come out at once would reduce the distraction created by one gay player coming out, if none of them choose to come out, that?s their business.

Ultimately, we believe people should be allowed to be who they are, and who they choose to be.? That includes straight, gay, and closeted.? If a gay player simply doesn?t want to come out, that?s his prerogative ? and no one gay or straight should be trying to get him to do something he doesn?t want to do.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/07/new-concerns-about-gronkowskis-recovery/related/

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Luxembourg says willing to ease banking secrecy: paper

BERLIN (Reuters) - Luxembourg is prepared to ease its banking secrecy rules and work more closely with foreign tax authorities, Finance Minister Luc Frieden told a paper, in a comment welcomed by Germany which wants to crack down on tax havens.

Frieden told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung there was an international trend towards automatically exchanging information about depositors, adding; "We no longer strictly reject this, in contrast to before."

"Luxembourg does not rely on clients who want to save tax," he said.

Last month's 10 billion euro bailout of Cyprus, whose banking system was swollen by foreign deposits attracted by low taxes and easy regulation, has put the spotlight on tax havens.

Austria and Luxembourg are the only European Union states that do not share with other EU members the identities of EU residents with cross-border bank accounts.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he was pleased with the comments from Luxembourg.

"I welcome every step towards automatic information exchange," he told the Saarbruecker Zeitung newspaper.

Amid growing outrage over the scale of tax evasion, Schaeuble said last week Berlin would push the EU to take legal measures against tax havens. The German government this weekend also urged several German publications to hand over details they have obtained on suspected tax cheats.

(Reporting by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/finance-minister-says-luxembourg-willing-ease-banking-secrecy-124212194--finance.html

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Car Insurance Rate Quotes in Oklahoma on the Cheap Zach on ...

All drivers in the state of Oklahoma are required to maintain their insurance coverage from the minimum level that required by the state. The state of Oklahoma requires in minimum level of coverage rate; $25,000 for bodily injury per individual, $50,000 for all injury involves, and $25,000 for property that damage caused by accident. Besides that all driver require to carry the proof wherever they want to go all times. You can get additional fees if can?t bring it, and thus it?ll be better for you to consider some law including for getting cheap rate.

There are some ways actually that able to be done for getting cheap rate of auto insurance in Oklahoma. You may choose another coverage like collision and comprehensive coverage that regarded as expensive. It?ll be a problem actually, if you know the way to get the cheap and finding also tips for reducing premium.

It?ll be effective if you can compare low car insurance quotes in Oklahoma instantly online. There are some providers of auto insurance quotes provider that available offer their service online. You can access it on the line of internet network by using your private computer. There are some quotes actually that available for you for reducing premium after signed with certain company. It?s time for you to save time by using these auto insurance quotes providers.

Rates usually become a good and common comparison that usually considered by most people for finding the best choice. It?s also including about the rate of auto insurance coverage; despite they choose coverage which regarded is expensive but when we know the ways, we can get reduce premium by some specific action. It?ll be important to be done, especially in Oklahoma most of auto insurance are challenge.

Source: http://zachshelby.org/car-insurance-rate-quotes-in-oklahoma-on-the-cheap/

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Manlike robot struts its stuff in camo gear

Devin Coldewey , NBC News ? ? ? 1 hr.

The creators of the eerily beast-like BigDog robot have shown off a new creation on video. The formerly headless "Petman" anthropomorphic robot has gained both a cranium and a set of clothes ? but its jaunty step is still the same, in a video shared Friday.

Boston Dynamics created Petman not to be a helper on the battlefield, like BigDog, but to work in the lab, testing protective clothing. Once the robot is outfitted with the latest hazardous materials suit or flak jacket, it can then walk, crouch, jump and generally move realistically, giving the new duds a good workout.

But why use a robot at all? Why not a lab assistant? Because the tests may include exposure to chemical warfare agents. No one but a robot is going to sign up to be be sprayed with nerve gas, especially in new, unproven gear.

In order to better simulate a human inside the suit, Petman actually produces sweat and heat, and is equipped with temperature and chemical sensors so that it can tell if a normal human would have passed out or keeled over.

Petman was created with funds from the Defense Department's Chemical and Biological Defense program. You won't see one walking the streets any time soon (as good as it might look doing it) ? but keep an eye out for the Atlas robot, also built by Boston Dynamics, and meant to navigate actual terrain. It should be showing up on video later this year.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a6258ac/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cfutureoftech0Cmanlike0Erobot0Estruts0Eits0Estuff0Ecamo0Egear0E1B9236450A/story01.htm

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Better Tech Buy Today: Apple or Google?

By Andrew Tonner | More Articles
April 6, 2013 |

Andrew Tonner is a big fan of Apple. He's bullish on Google.?So which is the better investment? In this video, Andrew explains why he likes Apple in the short run, and Google for the long run. Apple stock has been beaten down to low valuations, and the company will probably return part of its cash stash to shareholders this year. A low-cost iPhone would also help Apple penetrate the emerging market. Long-term growth may prove tougher despite the likely rollout of an iTV or iWatch. Google is a better long-term investment, since it's not dependent on one product and enjoys a wide moat with its search-engine business. Further, any new technology that could disrupt its business is currently not on the horizon.

As one of the most dominant Internet companies ever, Google has made a habit of driving strong returns for its shareholders. However, like many other Web companies, it's also struggling to adapt to an increasingly mobile world. Despite gaining an enviable lead with its Android operating system, the market isn't sold. That's why it's more important than ever to understand each piece of Google's sprawling empire. In The Motley Fool's new premium research report on Google, we break down the risks and potential rewards for Google investors. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this invaluable resource.

Source: http://feeds.fool.com/~r/usmf/foolwatch/~3/LUD84Vmn3D4/story01.htm

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Android Launchers Are A Small Market, Can Facebook Home Change That?

Facebook is getting into the “Android launcher” market, the company has confirmed, thanks to its new Facebook Home application announced today. The app, as?previously reported, is new software that integrates the Facebook experience deeply into the Android operating system. But Android launchers today aren’t a very large market, relative to the reach Facebook has in mind. Will the Facebook brand be able to change that? Facebook already has an incredible presence on mobile. It’s the?most-used application on your phone. And of?Facebook’s more than 1 billion active users, 680 million are active on mobile.?It only makes sense for Facebook to build something that takes better advantage of this major shift in computing by putting its service front and center in people’s everyday lives. But compared with the enormity of Facebook, the Android launcher market is much smaller. According to Google Play data, Go Launcher EX,?the top free Android launcher, has somewhere between 50 million to 100 million installs worldwide. But that includes users who are installing it on multiple devices, or again and again as they change phones. According to app-store analytics firm Distimo, the launcher has actually only been installed on 6 million unique devices in the U.S. since mid-August 2012. Facebook Home To Join The “Android Launcher” Market Launchers are mobile applications popular among Android users that allow you to further customize the look, feel and functionality of the native Android experience, replacing the user interface experience that ships with your phone. They allow you to do things like install themes, customize icon skins, change the way you navigate between screens or access the application drawer, for example, and much more. Some have 3D effects, others include their own widgets, and some offer a variety of widgets, themes and other add-ons for download or sale separately. But the one thing they have had in common is that they’ve generally appealed to a more advanced, more technically inclined crowd that likes to tweak and customize their devices. They appeal to those who feel confined by the locked-down experience on iOS and want more control. This is the competitive market that Facebook Home is joining, and Facebook’s Launcher, though beautifully designed, is an entirely different experience from the launchers available today.?Although like the others, Home is about changing the default Android interface, it differs in that it changes it to one of Facebook’s liking, while other launchers are about offering users

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/dm3k1xPRFv0/

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Stocks rise; Best Buy jumps 16 percent

Stocks ended higher on Wall Street Thursday, regaining half of its plunge the day before, as buyers returned to the market.?Among stocks making big moves, electronics retailer Best Buy jumped $3.48, or 16 percent, to $25.13.

By Steve Rothwell,?AP Markets Writer / April 4, 2013

Knight Capital trader Jason Blatt works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday. Recently, stocks have been alternating between gains and losses on a nearly daily basis as investors' confidence in the U.S. economic recovery weakened.

Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Enlarge

The Dow Jones industrial average closed higher Thursday, regaining half of its plunge the day before, as buyers returned to the market.

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The Dow rose 55.76 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 14,606.11. On Wednesday it dropped 111, its worst fall in more than a month, following weak reports on hiring and service industries. The decline was enough to make stock prices seem attractive again.

"Investors have been looking for a reason to sell, given the rally we've seen in the market in the past couple of months," said Joseph Tanious at JPMorgan Funds. "Today, you're seeing investors come back into the market and buy on the dip."

The stock market got off to a strong start in 2013. The Dow climbed 10 percent in the first three months of the year and closed at a record high of 14,662 Tuesday. Investors have been encouraged by signs that the housing market was recovering and that hiring was picking up.

The market continued a steady advance through the first two weeks of March, but since then indexes have been alternating between gains and losses on a nearly daily basis as investors' confidence in the U.S. economic recovery weakened.

There was more discouraging economic news Thursday. The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose to a four-month high of 385,000 last week, the Labor Department said. The government will issue its employment report Friday, which investors look at closely for insight into how the U.S. economy is doing.

"The trend seems to be worsening," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital. "We're seeing a little hesitation in anticipation of tomorrow's job report."

Safer industry groups rose Thursday. Telecommunications companies and utilities led the gains for the S&P 500, rising 1.3 percent and 0.9 percent.

So-called defensive industries, such as health care, consumer staples and utilities, which have stable earnings and dividends, have led the market rally this year. Investors have been seeking out stocks that give them similar characteristics to debt investments after a powerful rally in bonds over the last year pushed yields sharply lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note has traded below 2 percent for most of the last year.

The 10-year yield fell to 1.76 percent Thursday from 1.81 percent a day earlier, within a fraction of its lowest level of the year. The note's yield has declined over the last month as demand for less risky assets increased following the financial crisis in Cyprus and signs of a slowdown in the U.S. The yield was as high as 2.06 percent on March 11.

Japanese stocks jumped and the yen sank after the country's central bank announced aggressive measures for getting the world's third-largest economy out of a two-decade slump. The Bank of Japan, under new Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, surprised markets by saying it would greatly increase the country's money supply with the goal of encouraging people and businesses to borrow and spend. The yen weakened 3.6 percent against the dollar, to 96.33 yen, while Tokyo's Nikkei stock index rose 2.2 percent to 12,634.54.

U.S.-listed shares of Japanese automakers rose sharply. A weaker yen would make Japanese vehicles less expensive in markets outside Japan, and therefore more competitive. The U.S. shares of Toyota rose $4.75, or 4.7 percent, to $105.63, Honda's rose $2.01, or 5.4 percent, to $39.21 and Nissan's rose $1.03, or 5.5 percent, to $19.85. Japanese electronics makers also rose. Sony rose 57 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $17 and Panasonic climbed 27 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $6.69.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 6.29 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,559.98. The Nasdaq composite fell rose 6.38 points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,224.98.

Among stocks making big moves, electronics retailer Best Buy jumped $3.48, or 16 percent, to $25.13 after saying it would collaborate with the Korean smartphone and tablet maker Samsung to open kiosks in its stores.

Facebook rose 82 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $27.07 after the social network unveiled a new product for Android phones that will bring content to users on the phone's home screen. More Android integration could help Facebook Inc. attract more mobile advertisers.

MetroPCS rose 16 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $11.12 after Reuters reported that Deutsche Telekom is considering amending the terms of the proposed merger between its T-Mobile USA business and local rival Metro PCS.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/bbxsNsENV3M/Stocks-rise-Best-Buy-jumps-16-percent

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7 Iconic Film Props You Can Totally Try to Buy Right Now

Break out your checkbook and get ready to explain to your kids why they're not going to college anymore; Julien's Auction House is currently running its "Hollywood Legends 2013" live auction in Beverly Hills. You've got props and costumery from James Bond, Bruce Lee, and dozens of old-timey Hollywood classics. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/msNev3pLB74/8-iconic-film-props-you-can-totally-try-to-buy-right-now

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HTC First the first Snapdragon 400-powered phone

Hidden away in today's HTC First and Facebook Home announcements was the news that the Facebook-centric HTC First is powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 400 processor -- a mid-range chip announced back in February. The Facebook Home-running handset is the first to incorporate this new chip.

The Snapdragon 400 in the HTC First includes a dual Krait aSMP running up to 1.7GHz per core. That's paired with an Adreno 305 native Miracast wireless display technology, and 4G LTE connectivity options.

The HTC First will launch on Apr. 12 on AT&T, priced at $99.99.

More: HTC First announcement; HTC First forums

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/A6PZUJQaaRw/story01.htm

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Cheap Flight To Islamabad, Cheap Flight To Pakistan From Uk

Southern Asia provides countless hottest places in which Pakistan is one of the top rated countries in the book of air traveling, and is heavily filled with historical, cultural and natural resources. If you have a plan to visit this astonishing land from England, you will require to book cheap flight to Pakistan from UK after selecting a suitable terrain to start a perfect tour. Country is full of heartbreaking lands that cannot be found anywhere else. It has wonderfully well located international destinations from which its tourists get easy approach to the desired spots. One of its most recognized and served destination is Islamabad. Many airlines offer daily and schedule flights along with the affordable holiday packages to this beautiful city. From their cheap deals, you can find cheap flight to Islamabad to decrease your tour expense.
Airlines offer low airfares to meet with the needs of its customers, and to stay at top among its competitors. Their cheap tickets and packages become helpful for those who travel much or have a tight tour budget. If you need the best flights of the worlds famous airlines, you will find travel agents as a most appropriate source in this concern. You will avail beneficial solutions for your tour from their lucrative services related to the cheapest flights and tour ism guide. These travel agencies have been working with several airlines to introduce the most impressive and finest affordable flights. These firms also provide complete services related to the destination. Whether it is a matter of hotel booking, transportation service, tourism or anything related to local guide you will find these agencies the best source for in this concern.
Islamabad is a well designed and a planned city. It is a capital of Pakistan constructed in 1966 and is known as a supportive hub of tourism. Due to its location, tourist can easily map their trip. It offers beautiful hill stations, amazing resorts, roomy parks and modern buildings. The Banazir Bhutto International Airport is serving international and domestic flights. The fabulous Faisal Mosque having its name among the largest mosques of the world is the main element of the city. The Margalla Hills, Raval Lake, Pakistan Museum of National History, Pharwala Fort, Lake View Park, Pir Sohawa and Daman-e-Koh are its main draws. The city is built with excellent roads and transportation system. The offices of famous business icons and national organizations are also situated in the city including President House, Parliament House, Supreme Court and Embassies. The hill stations of Murree and Bhorban are the famous places in its neighbors.
Get your cheap flight to Pakistan from UK in advance to get rid of the seasonal traveling load. Your travel agent will certainly make your tour unforgettable, and from their experienced services you will get most from your tour. Deals on cheap flight to Islamabad vary with the change in season. Therefore, an early booking will make your tour profitable, and lucrative services of travel agents will save your time.

About the Author:
I am affiliate content writer. I have written many articles and research on Travels and airline. I have used Times Travel Company for airline booking. They are offering cheap flight to Islamabad if you research online you will find only few company who meet the Times Travel Airline price.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Cheap-Flight-To-Islamabad--Cheap-Flight-To-Pakistan-From-Uk/4519432

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Insight: Young nation Kyrgyzstan fights over gold at top of the world

By Dmitry Solovyov

KUMTOR, Kyrgyzstan (Reuters) - In an impoverished young nation with a habit of overthrowing its rulers, the future now balances on a mountain of gold at the top of the world, where the air is so thin collapsing visitors may be rushed to a pressure chamber for oxygen.

After two revolutions in eight years, nationalists in Kyrgyzstan are threatening to return to the streets to topple another government unless it expropriates the Kumtor goldmine, a treasure they say was sold off too cheaply to foreigners.

Parliament in the remote ex-Soviet Central Asian state has set a deadline of June 1 for the government to renegotiate - or repudiate - a deal struck in 2009 with Canadian firm Centerra Gold to operate the mine.

A state commission said the Canadian firm has been paying too little to run the mine, and accused it of inflicting environmental damage leading to $457 million in fines.

Three lawmakers were convicted last week of trying to seize power in the country by force after leading demonstrations late last year demanding the mine be renationalized.

Prime Minister Zhantoro Satybaldiyev, who took his job last September as a technocrat pledging to alleviate poverty in the country of 5.5 million, says compromise is vital and banishing Centerra would dash hopes of winning more foreign investment.

"Our investment climate will directly depend on how successfully we resolve the Kumtor issue," the 57-year-old told Reuters in an interview.

GOLDEN CRUCIBLE

A landlocked country half way between Moscow and Beijing, Kyrgyzstan holds its national treasure at the mine 4,000 meters (12,000 feet) up in the Tien Shan mountains, near one of the world's remotest borders, the old Soviet frontier with China.

Trucks the size of three-storey houses chug in a gigantic open pit to deliver rocks to a gold-extracting mill, which runs 365 days a year.

Inside a guarded room, two workers move slowly in silvery heat proof overalls, pouring bright orange molten gold from a crucible into moulds. Minutes later, four shiny bars worth $2.6 million are stamped and sealed in vaults.

Under the deal reached with ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev before he was toppled in a 2010 revolution, the mine's operating company pays 14 percent of its gross revenue to the Kyrgyz state.

The state commission that investigated the deal concluded that the royalty is far too low, leading to parliament's call for the deal to be revised or repudiated.

The dispute has reached the streets. Last October, three nationalist lawmakers led a crowd of supporters trying to storm the government headquarters, demanding Kumtor's nationalization. The trio, from Kyrgyzstan's poor, volatile and ethnically mixed south, were jailed last week for up to 18 months.

"We only voiced the will of the people to return Kumtor to our nation," their leader, Kamchibek Tashiyev, parliamentary head of the nationalist Ata Zhurt party, said before he was sentenced.

Supporters, who rallied in the southern city of Jalalabad last month, have demanded they be freed by April 7 - third anniversary of Bakiyev's fall - or they will launch nationwide protests.

NO SWITZERLAND

Kyrgyz leaders have long seen Kumtor as the country's ticket to stability and prosperity.

In 1995, independent Kyrgyzstan's first president, mathematician Askar Akayev, visited the mine and declared: "We are transferring gold from the mountains to the banks, and this will help us become the Switzerland of Central Asia."

Akayev was toppled in 2005, and his hopes of making his country into a new Switzerland have long since become a cruel joke. With its per capita GDP of $1,100, Kyrgyzstan is 12 times poorer than its former Soviet neighbor Kazakhstan, which has oil, gas, metals and grain-producing farms.

Kumtor, which means Sand Peak in the Turkic national tongue, accounted for 12 percent of Kyrgyzstan's gross domestic product in 2011, and more than half of its total exports.

Last year, glacial ice flowed into its giant open mining pit, causing its output to collapse by 46 percent to 315,238 ounces of gold and revenues to fall to 43 percent to $534 million, sending the entire country's economy into recession.

While the head of the Kumtor Operating Company (KOC), Michael Fischer, expects output to rebound to between 550,000 and 600,000 ounces this year, there is no sign of a recovery in its relations with some hostile politicians.

"We've gone through two revolutions, the first democratic parliament was elected, and we've managed with several governments," said the New Zealander, who since arriving in 2009 has overseen exploration work that has added enough reserves to extend the mine's expected lifespan by more than a decade.

"We believe that we are part of the fabric in Kyrgyzstan, and we'll still be here up to the mine's closure in 2026."

The mine, discovered in Soviet times, produced a total of 8.7 million ounces of gold from 1997 through 2012. According to its own data, the operating company expects to produce as much as 9.5 million more ounces of gold before the mine runs out.

Kyrgyzstan will become even more dependent on Kumtor from next year, when the United States is set to shut the country's other big Western venture, the Manas air base leased for $60 million a year for the war now winding down in Afghanistan.

Russia, happy to see the Americans leave its ex-Soviet back yard, has promised to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on big hydroelectric power projects in Kyrgyzstan, but any work is years away and opposed by down-river neighbor Uzbekistan.

LUCKY TICKET

For the 3,400 full-time and contract workers at Kumtor, monthly wages of $2,000 - 10 times the national average - compensate for the physical hardships. After two-week shifts of labor at high altitude, they are give a rest to recuperate.

Nurdin Usenov, a 35-year-old mill superintendent who came to Kumtor as a trainee in 1997, knows he drew a lucky ticket.

"I support my family, my children receive education, and we help relatives," he said, standing in a control room packed with computers. "Such an enterprise should not be halted."

Operating company boss Fischer says the company has filed notice it will appeal against the huge environmental fines.

"We feel these claims are exaggerated or without merit," he said. "The Kumtor project complies with Kyrgyz laws, and meets or exceeds Kyrgyz and international environmental, safety and health standards."

The political pressure has hit Centerra's shares, which have fallen by nearly three-quarters since peaking in September 2011, reducing the firm's value to $1.4 billion.

Kumtor is the main asset owned by Toronto-listed Centerra, in which the Kyrgyz state owns a stake of nearly 33 percent.

According to public filings, Centerra's other shareholders include U.S. hedge fund boss John Paulson - who made a killing in the subprime debt crisis but has struggled with bets on gold.

Satybaldiyev has pledged not to expropriate the mine and added that, despite pressure on his coalition government, he is determined to serve out the remaining two years before the next parliamentary elections are due to be held.

"To our great regret, investors are not lining up to come here. They are still waiting to see how March, April and summer pass in Kyrgyzstan. Then they will wait to see whether autumn is calm," he said at his state residence outside Bishkek.

"Any investment loves peace. But do we have it?" he said, sitting before a carved wooden mural that depicts a historical scene in which Kyrgyz khans are seated in a circle and debating.

After overthrowing two presidents, Kyrgyzstan shifted from a presidential to a parliamentary system of government. But the reform has not brought stability: Satybaldiyev's government is the third in less than three years.

"Change of government through revolution appears to have become the norm rather than the exception," said Lilit Gevorgyan, who follows the region for consultancy IHS Global Insight. "This is the greatest weakness of Kyrgyz democracy."

HORSEBACK RAIDERS

Salmurbek Daikanov's National Renaissance Party has no seats in parliament but makes up for its lack of numbers in the clamor it has caused in Kyrgyzstan's raucous public life.

Daikanov, who studied mathematics in Russia, led a crowd of supporters that broke into a TV studio last August, disrupting Kyrgyzstan's first attempt to auction a batch of mining licenses to international investors.

He spent 41 days in custody and is charged with hooliganism, but says his action has prevented worse conflict. In some cases, men on horseback have plundered prospectors' camps, setting them on fire and beating their workers.

"Why dig and cripple our land to extract gold and then hide it in the basement of a bank?" asked Daikanov. "The world must impose a moratorium on gold output."

His ideas get a hostile reception in the once bustling township of Kajy-Say, 300 km (188 miles) east of Bishkek and just 90 km (56 miles) from Kumtor.

The local uranium combine closed in 1968, replaced by a plant which produced diodes and semiconductors until it died in 1993. Finally, a factory extracting quartz was closed in 2005.

Kajy-Say's population has shrunk to about 2,500 from 15,000, and its abandoned apartment houses gape with broken windows. Jobless locals eke out a living by dismantling idle industrial buildings for construction materials.

Local resident Cholponbek Zhumadylov, 31, has never had a steady job. He, his wife and little son all survive on his mother's pension of 4,000 soms ($85) a month.

He said foreign investors would be most welcome in Kajy-Say, which like most of Kyrgyzstan sits on vast natural resources, while the central government has no funds for their development.

"If they honestly work and invest here, if they employ local youths, everyone will be working," he said. "We now have no future, and I don't know whether any future will be seen later. I hope it won't remain as it is."

Giving people like Zhumadylov and his family a stake in Kyrgyzstan's future will be vital to stabilizing the country.

"Kyrgyz voters have shown in the past decade that they are unlikely to tolerate authoritarian corrupt regimes, where they remain economically disenfranchised," argues analyst Gevorgyan.

"The bad news is that it will take a few turbulent years to move away from wild political swings, of jumping from one revolution to another, for many voters to see value in political dialogue, compromise and stability."

(Additional reporting by Olga Dzyubenko in Bishkek; Editing by Douglas Busvine)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-young-nation-kyrgyzstan-fights-over-gold-top-084336199.html

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Sorry Apple gets respect in China after tabloid trial

By Melanie Lee

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - With its rare apology, Apple Inc went from pariah to praiseworthy in the eyes of China's state-controlled media, a lesson for other foreign firms not to underestimate the speed and power of the government press.

After coming under near-daily media assault for the past two weeks and facing the threat of penalties from two Chinese government bureaus, Apple apologized to Chinese consumers on Monday for poor communication over its warranty policy and said it will change the terms for some of its iPhones sold in China.

Greater China is Apple's second-biggest and fastest-growing market, with sales up almost 40 percent to $6.8 billion in the final quarter of 2012.

The Chinese newspapers that threw brickbats at Apple a few days ago have since changed their tune.

"The company's apology letter has eased the situation, softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market ... Its reaction is worth respect compared with other American companies," wrote popular tabloid the Global Times, published by Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily.

The Foreign Ministry praised Apple for "conscientiously" responding to consumers' demands.

"We approve of what Apple said," spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing on Tuesday.

Only last week, the People's Daily issued a scathing editorial on Apple's return policy saying the popular smartphone maker was filled with "unparalleled arrogance".

Apple was first targeted in mid-March by state broadcaster CCTV during its annual consumer day segment. Volkswagen AG, which was also criticized on the same show, plans to recall vehicles to fix a gearbox problem.

"That Timothy Cook had to step up and respond from the CEO's chair shows the importance of China and how critical it is as a market not just for Apple but for every multinational company here," said Kent Kedl, Shanghai-based head of Greater China and North Asia for risk consultancy firm Control Risks.

Foreign companies who are adept at managing media crises at home find it much tougher to navigate China where state media outlets, pandering to different audiences, often have opaque agendas and intentions. Analysts also said that foreign companies need to remember that the bigger the brand, the bigger a target it will be, especially in China.

"What foreign companies need to pay attention to, is that nobody operates in a vacuum, nobody operates only on the good graces of a brand name ... Five to ten years ago a report on CCTV would have rippled a little bit, now it goes viral and has a life of its own," Kedl said.

NOT APPLE'S FIGHT TO WIN

Apple's acquiescence in this setting, where the world's largest technology company by market value was ironically the David going up against China's Goliath state media machinations, shows its wisdom in not challenging a more powerful enemy.

Although popular opinion on the Internet swayed in Apple's favor, against state media and the reported threats of penalties from China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce as well as its quality and inspection bureau, it was not Apple's fight to win, experts said.

Other foreign companies targeted by CCTV, such as fast food chain operator Yum Brands Inc, have also apologized and faced scrutiny from government agencies. Last December CCTV reported that two of Yum's suppliers purchased chickens from farmers who used excessive levels of antibiotics in their animals. The report and subsequent investigations hurt sales at Yum's KFC chain.

But Apple's situation is somewhat different because CCTV's claim was not completely new. Last July, a Chinese consumer rights group also slammed Apple for its after-sales policies. That time, however, Apple held its ground.

With the apology and warranty change, Apple's mea culpa is significant not just because it comes from a tech firm that rarely apologizes, but also because Apple may be realizing that in China, it needs to be proactive.

"They're out of the woods and into the weeds. Things will rarely be smooth for Apple in China - even if consumers love it there will always be factions in and out of government that are trying to take it down," said Michael Clendenin, managing director of technology consultancy RedTech Advisors.

"Apple made it easy this time, but they have learned to be more proactive. The next time they stumble, it will be easier to recover," he said.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Emily Kaiser)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sorry-apple-gets-respect-china-tabloid-trial-085559259--finance.html

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The First and Best Place to Find Investment Property Loans | Epic ...

Hot Tip! Your creativity can be a bigger financial resource than actual money; to the point where you don?t even need money or conventional investment property loans. Think about it, no money (at least not your own) and no credit, just words and imagination ? it?s like one red paperclip, you know the kid who traded from a paperclip to a house in a year? Except not nearly as difficult.

If he can do that, you can do this.

Hang on to your eyeballs, because my primary method of funding deals might shock you.

Here it is.

FIRST, I look to the seller to provide financing for my deal as opposed to getting a conventional investment property loan. Typically, this is referred to seller financing or seller carry-back.

Listen up before you fry your brain.

There are endless ways to creatively finance a deal (See 9 different ways here), but before you craft your numerical masterpiece, you?ve got to first know WHAT the seller needs and WHEN they need it.

You?ll also need to know:

How much money they owe on the property, and if the payments are current.

After you?re firm on those items, you can get to work massaging terms to see how they can help you help them.

The three scenarios you?re likely to encounter are:

1. FREE & CLEAR PROPERTIES

If they own it free and clear, and they?re open to seller financing, then that?s an easy deal.

But wait! Why would someone want to take payments instead of cash out?

Well, maybe they don?t want to be landlords, but they?d like the cash flow. Maybe they?re old and have no use for a chunk of money but would rather live out their days in extra comfort. Maybe they don?t want to pay the taxes on the whole amount. Who knows?!

The reason doesn?t matter, either. I can tell you there are more reasons than you can conceive of, so stop trying to figure out why they wouldn?t finance the sale, and just ask.

?

2. EXISTING LOANS

The property won?t always be owned free and clear. If there?s a loan in place, my first choice is to leave it there and transact what?s known as a ?subject to? deal. Subject to means I take ownership subject to the existing loan. At the end of the transaction, I?m on title but the loan remains in the seller?s name.

Essentially I?ve become their loan-sitter. I make the payments on time and in full, and I?m free to flip the property and pocket the profit or rent it out and hold on to it for cash flow.

Remember! Don?t try to figure out why they won?t, but rather focus on why they will.

3. THE LOAN AND THEN SOME

Sometimes the seller wants cash above and beyond the existing loan. In those cases I look to the seller AGAIN and present them with the option to carry back an additional investment property loan. (Snazzy eh?)

If they agree, you can either keep the loans separate, i.e.: pay the bank and pay the seller. Or, my preference, wrap them into one using a third party servicing company who then distributes the payments to each lender accordingly. It?s tidy, it?s simple, it?s safer, and it?s my first choice.

Listen, the more I creatively fashion deals involving the sellers, the less money I use. But, understand it?s a SKILL. It takes patience and PRACTICE to develop. You might self-combust in the beginning (not really), but stick it out because it?s WORTH it.

Not everyone has the ability to make money appear from the words they speak, but those who do can be found sipping fruity cocktails on remote beaches whenever they feel like it.

The majority of my Epic Pro Academy focuses on negotiating and creative deal structuring. If you?re serious about honing your skills, click here to check it out.

Source: http://epicprofessionals.com/the-first-and-best-place-to-find-investment-property-loans/

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